How To Pronounce Defect

The stress in defect moves depending on how the word is used.

Noun. It is /ˈdiː.fekt/ in British English and /ˈdiː.fekt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “a defect”.

Verb. It is /dɪˈfekt/ in British English and /dɪˈfekt/ in American English with the main stress on the second syllable, as in “to defect”.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.